Carmen Souza was born in Lisbon (81) within a Christian family of Cape Verdeans. Very early she experienced the “Sodade” feeling of missing someone with the long absence of her father due to his work at sea. She grew up in a mixed language environment of Creole, the Cape Verde dialect her parents spoke at home, and Portuguese, always surrounded by the Cape Verdean way of life.

The singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist, born in Lisbon and raised by parents from Cape Verde, returns with "protected", a cocktail of rhythms from the islands, beautifully enhanced with elements of contemporary jazz and Afro-Latin music. The recording of this new work was carried out by Souza and his regular collaborator, the veteran percussionist, composer, producer and bass player Theo Pas'cal with a mobile studio in the spare time of their last international tour that took her to cities like Lisbon, London, Toronto, New York or Paris.

Portuguese singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Carmen Souza has one of the most unique and refreshing voices in the current jazz scene. Her unconventional scatting combines traditional jazz techniques with Cape Verdean (her family is of Cape Verdean origin) influences. Carmen Souza’s musical character really stands out. While many female jazz vocalists are recording standards and new material with smooth jazzy arrangements, Carmen’s style is much creative and attractive. She presents a spicy mix of originals and standards where jazz and global sounds come together. Carmen uses jazz as a foundation and adds Cape Verdean traditional music such as batuke, morna, and cola djon; Gypsy jazz; and Brazilian rhythms to her sound.

„Epistola“ is the Greek and Latin word for „letter“. And as every letter does the album “Epistola” transport a message. Carmen Souza’s and Theo Pascal’s message to their fans is: everyone shall receive their message whoever is open to their music and lyrics. The album has a fancy cover showing the artists on a stamped letter. It was recorded at different places in the world - in Portugal, Great Britain and New York.

Sensitive and intimate, but also very positive and overwhelming, this way of singing is an independent creative path. Sometimes in hard-driving, other times sweating in low heat, who doesn’t know her goes from surprise to ecstasy, ‘Sodade’ brushes dangerously the outrage of leaving other titles without reference.

The world s most famous tenor brings his unmistakable voice to one of the world s most popular operas, Carmen. The eleven highlights on this album are well-known, instantly recognized hits full of Spanish flavor and infectious melodies.

Behind the near-mythical figure of the emancipated woman, the dazzling spectacle of the group tableau and vibrant seduction of the Spain of dreams, all its authenticity and brilliance have been restored to the world's most performed opera in the opera house where it was first performed in 1875. A veritable back to the origins for the masterpiece by Georges Bizet, who died at the age of thirty six, only a few weeks after finishing his controversial work, the tremendous success of which he was ever to know. By presenting it here in a brand-new version with instruments of the period, in an endeavour to rekindle the original musical and theatrical flame, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Adrian Noble have reconstructed the unusual movement of the chorus and difficult dialogue between characters as a human, carnal tragedy.